


Broken Butterfly Toy

by innerboo



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken | Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-11
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2019-03-29 21:32:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13935846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/innerboo/pseuds/innerboo
Summary: Matthew comforts a boy, who he suspects has an abusive mother. By doing this, he changes the future substantially.





	Broken Butterfly Toy

He preferred lying on the grass to leaning on a tree. The problem was that he was very particular about the grass he laid on, so this time, he settled on a tree.

He wished he had a horse. He wouldn't be as exhausted then. Matthew took a swig of his water. He was only a mile away from his destination, but he was too tired to move.

Matthew heard footsteps. A boy was in the distance, running towards him. He looked like he was crying.

Matthew, despite feeling like his legs were about to fall off, ran to him. He wasn't a saint, but he would never ignore something like this.

"Hey, are you okay?" Matthew whispered. The crying boy stopped, and looked up at him. He shook his head.

"I broke brother's toy," the boy sobbed. Matthew hugged the boy, and the boy cried into his shirt.

"Your brother will forgive you," Matthew said. "Let's get you home."

"I don't know how," the boy sobbed. Matthew thought for a moment. There were multiple villages nearby. He wondered if the one he was heading to was it. It was the closest after all.

He pondered how to confirm the village. He remembered the village had a huge fountain in the center of it. It was the pride of the town. There was no way you could live there without seeing it.

"Do you remember a big fountain?" Matthew said. "One with lions on it?" The boy nodded, and Matthew smiled. This made his job a lot easier.

"Can you get home from there?" The boy nodded again.

"Okay, let's go then," Matthew said. The boy stood up and held Matthew's hand. It was small. Matthew guessed that the kid was about five or six.

"Where were your parents?" Matthew asked. How did the boy manage to get so far? And how was he able to get away?

"Mommy was taking care of Daddy because he's sick," the boy said.

So they weren't purposefully neglecting him. Still, they could've had someone watching them.

"What are your parents like?" The boy perked up. A good sign.

"I'm not allowed to talk about Daddy, but mommy plays with me a lot," the boy said.

Less of a good sign.

"Why aren't you allowed to talk about him?" Matthew asked. He was starting to worry about this kid's home life.

"I dunno," the boy said.

Matthew wondered if their dad was really sick, or if their mom was just abusing him. Either way, something was fishy.

"How is Daddy sick?" Matthew asked.

"He's coughing a lot, and he's very tired," the boy said.

Why didn't they get help? It sounds like a fever. A blue vulnerary would take care of it quickly.

"Why doesn't he go to the doctor?" Matthew asked.

"Daddy never goes to the doctor," the boy said.

"Why not?" Matthew asked. "Oh, there's the fountain." The boy jumped.

"I know where it is now," the boy exclaimed. The boy ran, and Matthew followed. He had to know if it was a good home he was running to.

"Here it is," the boy said.

It was a new house in a good neighborhood. It calmed Matthew down a bit. Still, he knew looks could be deceiving.

"Can I come in? I might be able to help your dad," Matthew said. "Please. I might know a way to make him feel better." The boy's eyes lit up with hope.

"Okay," the boy said. "Daddy's upstairs."

Matthew nodded. He entered the house, and snuck upstairs. He heard breathing to the left, and cracked open the door. When he looked through, his eyes locked on the man's shoulder. On it was the symbol of the Black Fang.

Jaffar.

He heard a squeak, and held his hands up.

"Nino, it's me, Matthew."

"Matthew? What are you doing here?" Nino exclaimed.

"Never mind that." Matthew said. "He looks bad. Have you tried a blue vulnerary?" Nino shook her head.

"Doctors give it out, but you couldn't risk having Jaffar's tattoo being recognized." Matthew reached into his pocket, and slapped Jaffar awake. He gave the vulnerary to Nino.

"You offer it to him." Nino nodded. Jaffar blinked open his eyes. Nino opened the vulnerary, and held it out.

"Please drink this," Nino said. Jaffar took the bottle, and downed it. His body began to return to a healthy color. Nino hugged Jaffar.

"Thank you Matthew," Nino said. Matthew gave an exaggerated bow.

Matthew saw Jaffar's eyes clear up. Jaffar looked weary of him, for good reason. Matthew grinned.

"Relax. I'm not here to assassinate you." Jaffar narrowed his eyes.

"Why are you here?"

* * *

"Hey," Matthew said. "Don't be so hard on yourselves." Nino sniffled.

"I didn't even notice he was gone," she choked. Matthew shook his head.

"It's no one's fault," Matthew reiterated. Jaffar ducked his head.

"And you were bedridden, so don't you dare blame yourself either," Matthew said. "No ifs, ands, or buts."

He could understand Nino feeling guilty, but how the heck did Jaffar manage to blame himself?

"Even if you manage to mess up again, I'll be your safety net." Matthew said. "I'm going to be living here, so we'll see each other often." Nino perked up.

"Really? That's great," Nino exclaimed. "But why?"

"My parents live here. Small world, right?" Matthew laughed.

"It really is," Nino said, wiping her tears.

"Anyways, I should get going," Matthew said. He didn't actually have any plans, but he didn't want to overstay his welcome.

"Do you want to stay the night?" Nino offered.

So much for being thoughtful. Matthew chuckled.

"I don't see why not," Matthew said.

* * *

Matthew looked up at the moon. It was a sliver now, and it would be gone in a few nights.

On the night that it disappears, the villagers will attack, forcing Nino and Jaffar to flee, leaving Raigh and Lugh as orphans.

Except this time, the doctor didn't need to heal Jaffar, so Jaffar wasn't discovered. The villagers never found out, never attacked, and Nino and Jaffar never fled.

Because of Matthew, they got a happy ending.


End file.
